Quincy senior Jasmin Sherman drives through a group of Portola defenders on her way to the basket. Sherman finished the game against the Lady Tigers with 27 points. Photo by Greg Knight

Greg Knight

Sports Writer

2/27/2015

The Lady Trojans varsity basketball squad won the 2014-15 MVL championship on Tuesday, Feb. 17, by defeating the Lady Tigers, 70-52, in Portola.

It was not easy sailing for head coach Harlon Sevier’s team throughout the entire game — after leading the Tigers 26-21 at the end of the first half, and leading by as much as 10 points in the opening minutes of the second half, the Trojans let Portola wither that lead to just one point by the end of the third period.]]>mcondon@plumasnews.com (MichaelC)SportsFri, 27 Feb 2015 15:16:16 -0800 Chester beats back Redding Christian in fourth, 55-53http://plumasnews.com/index.php/sports/13495-chester-beats-back-redding-christian-in-fourth-55-53
http://plumasnews.com/index.php/sports/13495-chester-beats-back-redding-christian-in-fourth-55-53Greg Knight

Sports Writer

2/27/2015

After trailing 45-34 with six minutes left against Redding Christian at home last week, the Chester Volcanoes went on a 21-8 tear to beat the Lions on a 55-53 final score and remain undefeated in Five-Star League standings at 7-0 — though that unblemished record would fall apart days later on a stunning loss to Liberty Christian in the final game of the season.]]>mcondon@plumasnews.com (MichaelC)SportsFri, 27 Feb 2015 14:53:37 -0800Golf Results for the week of 2/27/2015http://plumasnews.com/index.php/sports/13483-golf-results-for-the-week-of-2-27-2015
http://plumasnews.com/index.php/sports/13483-golf-results-for-the-week-of-2-27-2015Feather Publishing2/27/2015

Mt. Huff Golf CourseWhen the morning mists lifted Feb. 18, the day was absolutely perfect for the Wednesday Morning Scramble at Mt. Huff Golf Course. The good weather brought out a near record number of golfers and three teams placed for recognition.

What do USDA checks of wild birds bode for hunting?Question: On the last day of hunting at Modesto Reservoir we had a lady from the United States Department of Agriculture that swabbed our ducks and geese for parasites, etc. I asked her why she was doing this, and she just smiled at me. So then I said, “Is it that Foster Farms has been having problems with viruses?” She just smiled again and nodded her head.

I can’t help but wonder what Foster Farms is up to but can bet they are up to no good for hunters. They had problems with their chickens in Livingston and other places so I can’t help but wonderif they are trying to tie this to our waterfowl. I think there is a good story here for somebody who wants to take the time to make the phone calls and dig it out!

—Ron W.

Answer:While this is an interesting question, Ron, there’s no conspiracy going on here against waterfowl hunters. I asked Krysta Rogers, avian specialist and environmental scientist for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and here’s what she had to say:

“In response to the recent detections of avian influenza in Washington in December 2014, the United States Department of Agriculture and United States Geological Survey, in coordination with state wildlife agencies, initiated active surveillance through swab sampling of hunter-harvested waterfowl in several states, including California. Avian influenza viruses naturally circulate in wild bird populations, primarily in species that are associated with an aquatic habitat. Therefore, monitoring wild waterfowl for avian influenza activity is one of the most efficient surveillance tools for determining what viruses are circulating worldwide. Between 2006 and 2011, CDFW participated in similar surveillance efforts to aid in the detection of avian influenza viruses. As with the previous surveillance, state and federal wildlife agencies do not foresee any impacts to wild waterfowl populations or to hunting.

“Recently, in the western United States, two main viruses have been detected, H5N2 and H5N8. Both viruses have previously been found in other parts of the world. While these viruses are not known to cause significant disease in wild waterfowl, they can cause high mortality in domestic poultry. Surveillance of hunter-harvested waterfowl has resulted in additional detections of these viruses in California, Oregon, Utah and Idaho. The H5N2 virus has been detected in backyard poultry flocks in Washington and Idaho while the H5N8 virus has been detected in a backyard poultry flock in Oregon and a commercial turkey flock in Stanislaus County, California.”

Multiple fishing rodsQuestion: If two anglers are anchored on the Sacramento River bait fishing for sturgeon and both have second rod validations allowing them to fish with four rods collectively, if one person then hooks up, is it legal for the other person to reel in the other three rods while that person is fighting the fish? In other words, is it legal for the person not trying to reel the fish in to clear the other three rods?

—Monty R.

Answer:Yes, provided the anglers are fishing in a location where the second rod validation is operative. Legally, since each fisherman is only authorized to fish with up to two fishing poles, the fisherman trying to bring in the other three poles would have to first secure one of his fishing rods so that it is no longer being used to fish. That would leave two fishing poles to reel in, which would be within the angler’s legal authority to do.

Dead headsQuestion: I’ve been up shed hunting and have recently found a couple mountain lion kills. Can I legally take the dead heads? How do I prove it’s a dead head and not a poached deer?

—Brice R.

Answer:You should avoid picking up anything that is fresh but it is not illegal for someone to pick up bleached antlers. In addition, you can sell sheds that you have found but they must have been manufactured into products or handcraft items, or have been cut into blocks or units which are to be handcrafted. You cannot sell whole antlers with heads attached (Fish and Game Code, section 3039(c)).

Selling sea urchin jewelryQuestion: Is it legal to use legally harvested/farmed California uni byproducts for jewelry to be sold in retail? I have a local fish market that sells large amounts of the purple urchins they obtain from Catalina Seafood. I obtain the eaten shells and use the spikes for crafts. Is it legal to sell them in California as well as globally?

—Alexandra F.

Answer: Commercially taken sea urchin spines can be sold in jewelry, but sport-harvested marine resources may not be sold, bartered, traded, etc.

Carrie Wilsonis a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Contact her at CalOutdoors@wildlife.ca.gov.

Four members of the team will be going to Mammoth for the state championship in March: Che Rubalcava-Cunan and Cody Morrison qualified for the giant slalom and slalom events, while Hall qualified for the giant slalom and Lewis qualified for the slalom.

Portola’s Alli Ramelli (No. 10) beats a Loyalton defender as she turns the corner on the way to a basket last week at home. Ramelli was the scoring leader for the Lady Tigers with 25 points. Photos by Greg Knight

Greg Knight

Sports Writer

2/20/2015

The Portola Lady Tigers made quick work of the Loyalton Lady Grizzlies last week at home, dispatching the non-Mid-Valley League foes in a 61-51 victory that featured a 25-point performance by junior Alli Ramelli, who also earned a double-double with 10 rebounds, and another double-digit (11-point) game from fellow junior Erin Sheridan.

The Lady Tigers led the Lady Grizzlies 28-23 going into the halftime break and were just as relentless in the second half, blasting a 33-point run that included a pair of threes from Ramelli and buckets from Sheridan, Sophia Selvaggio, Abby Folchi and Tabby Martinez.

Defensively, Ramelli also led the Tigers with 10 grabs, though she also had five assists and seven steals against Loyalton.]]>mcondon@plumasnews.com (MichaelC)SportsWed, 18 Feb 2015 19:39:27 -0800Lady Indians snap streak, beat Paradise Adventisthttp://plumasnews.com/index.php/sports/13467-lady-indians-snap-streak-beat-paradise-adventist
http://plumasnews.com/index.php/sports/13467-lady-indians-snap-streak-beat-paradise-adventist

Lady Indians senior McKenna Cook (No. 14) is brutally effective under the basket when it comes to defensive rebounds, logging three of her four grabs against Paradise Adventist under the Cougar hoop. Photos by Greg Knight

Greg KnightSports Writer2/20/2015

With an eye to overcoming a two-point deficit at the halftime buzzer, the Greenville Lady Indians basketball squad and head coach Sue Weber had to get creative if they wanted to beat the Cougars of Paradise Adventist Academy last week at home.

Beat the Cougars they did — taking down Paradise on a 38-32 final score that was, in essence, miraculous given that Greenville threw away a 13-5 lead in the second period to go down 17-15 at halftime. The win snaps a three-game losing streak for the Indians, who now sport a 7-11 overall record.

Quincy co-captain Brady Rick (No. 3) pushes Greenville defender Christian Beres out of the way during a trip to the baske. Rick, a senior playmaker for the Trojans, ended the game with a career-high 44 points. Photos by Greg Knight

Greg Knight

Sports Writer

2/13/2015

If Quincy senior Brady Rick had played just an average game against Greenville last week, one in which he earned 23 points, or even if he had matched his 32-point performance against Portola on Jan. 30, the Trojans may still have bested the Indians, but it would have been much closer than the 79-65 victory experienced by head coach Mike Woodlee’s team — with Rick putting together anything but an average performance, scoring a career-high 44 points across 32 minutes of play.

The only time Greenville had the lead was on the first basket of the game as Walker Meyers tossed in a gliding layup. After that, it was almost all Brady Rick as he scored 18 in the first half alone to take the Trojans to a 41-26 lead.]]>mcondon@plumasnews.com (MichaelC)SportsFri, 13 Feb 2015 20:24:22 -0800California Outdoors for the week of 2/13/2015http://plumasnews.com/index.php/sports/13421-california-outdoors-for-the-week-of-2-13-2015
http://plumasnews.com/index.php/sports/13421-california-outdoors-for-the-week-of-2-13-2015Carrie Wilson

California Department of Fish and Wildlife

2/13/2015

Why is it legal to buy deer chow but not use it to feed deer?

Question: I was at my local feed store today and was astounded to find bags of Purina Deer Chow for sale, and another feed for wild pigs. I know it is illegal in California to feed big game animals, including deer, bear, elk, wild pigs and pronghorn. So why is it OK to sell deer food? I asked the proprietor and they said that it was not illegal to sell the food and that their customers wanted the product. Isn’t this a little bit like saying it is OK to sell drugs, even if it is illegal to use them? What is the rationale for allowing the sale of a product when its use is banned?